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The Jackson-Vanik Amendment, passed in 1974, barred favorable trade
relations with the Soviet Union because it would not let Jewish citizens freely
emigrate. The restrictions imposed by Jackson-Vanik are often waived, but
remain in place and are a thorn in the side of Russia-U.S. trade relations.

Jackson-Vanik repeal is combined with the so-called Magnitsky
Bill - a measure aiming to punish Russian officials involved in the death of a
tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky was arrested on tax evasion charges in November 2008, days
after accusing police investigators of involvement in a $230-million tax refund
fraud, and died after almost a year in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial
detention center in Moscow.

The Magnitsky case, along with the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and the rift
over the Syrian crisis, is a major stumbling block in the “reset” of
U.S.-Russian relations.

The Obama administration, which has been evasive about the proposed
legislation, said on June 18 it considers it necessary to distinguish between
the adoption of the Magnitsky blacklist and the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik
Amendment.